Arcticportal NewsArctic Portal is a comprehensive gateway to the Arctic on the Internet and grants exposure to Arctic related information. It aims to engage worldwide Arctic organizations in data sharing and consultation.http://www.arcticportal.org/news
Tue, 03 Mar 2015 20:02:01 +0000Joomla! 1.5 - Open Source Content Managementen-gbArctic Frontiers coming soon http://www.arcticportal.org/news/25-other-news/1336-arctic-frontiers-coming-soon-
http://www.arcticportal.org/news/25-other-news/1336-arctic-frontiers-coming-soon-The Arctic Frontiers – international conference on Arctic issues will take place in Tromso, northern Norway 18th – 23rd of January 2015.

Arctic Frontiers is growing and has now integrated a Business section alongside Arctic Frontiers Policy, and Arctic Frontiers Science. Arctic Frontiers Business will focus on the drivers for industrial growth in the north.

During Arctic Frontiers Business 2015 the main focus will be on Barents Sea oil and gas and the Arctic mineral industry.

It is expected that development in these two industries will have a great impact on the future economic development in the north. What will be discussed is the role of these industries as drivers for economic development, the effects for suppliers to these industries, and what can be achieved in these sectors through northern business collaboration.

As a part of the Business Conference Arctic Frontiers is hosting a conference on Regional Cooperation and Economic development in the Arctic. The conference is organized in collaboration with the Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Modernization.Arctic Frontiers Business will facilitate business to business meetings and business presentations.

]]>magda@arcticportal.org (Magdalena Tomasik)Other NewsWed, 03 Dec 2014 09:17:02 +0000Employment opportunity available http://www.arcticportal.org/news/25-other-news/1335-employment-opportunity-available-
http://www.arcticportal.org/news/25-other-news/1335-employment-opportunity-available-The Council of the Baltic Sea States Secretariat is looking for two communications interns to join its team for a 4-month internship from 1 February 2015.

Please see the attached call to find out more about the positions and the application process.

The Council of the Baltic Sea States is an overall political forum for regional inter-governmental cooperation.

The Members of the Council are the eleven states of the Baltic Sea Region as well as the European Commission. The states are Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden and a representative from the European Commission.

The Council consists of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs from each Member State and a member of the European Commission. The Presidency of the Council rotates among the Member States on an annual basis.

The role of the Council is to serve as a forum for guidance and overall coordination among the participating states. The foreign minister of the presiding country is responsible for coordinating the Council's activities and is assisted in this work by the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO).

The Council does not have a general budget or project fund. Members are responsible for funding common activities and/or for seeking and coordinating financing from other sources. Since 1998, the CBSS Member States have financed jointly the Permanent International Secretariat of the CBSS.

]]>magda@arcticportal.org (Magdalena Tomasik)Other NewsTue, 02 Dec 2014 10:55:09 +0000ABC starts tomorrow in Norwayhttp://www.arcticportal.org/news/25-other-news/1334-abc-starts-tomorrow-in-norway
http://www.arcticportal.org/news/25-other-news/1334-abc-starts-tomorrow-in-norwayArctic Biodiversity Congress 2014 will start tomorrow in Trondheim, Norway. The main goal of the conference is to promote the conservation and sustainable use of Arctic biodiversity through dialogue among scientists, policy-makers, government officials, industry, civil society and indigenous peoples.

The Arctic Biodiversity Congress is being hosted and arranged by the the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) working group of the Arctic Council in close co-operation with Norway as the host country and its Norwegian Environment Agency (Miljødirektoratet).

The Norwegian Environment Agency is the Norwegian focal point for CAFF (hosting the CAFF national representative) and will be the Norwegian contact point for the Congress.

The annual conference will be held in Naryan-Mar, Russia on February 6, 2015 in the framework of the Day of Science.

Specialists and students of colleges and universities, school teachers, members of scientific institutions, representatives of state and local authorities are invited to participate and make a presentation / report.

Conference topics are to include: development of education, economics, technologies, humanities and natural sciences.

Applications are admitted till - January 23, 2015.

The publishing of conference presentations / reports is planned as the follow up of this event.

For further information please contact: barents@atnet.ru

]]>magda@arcticportal.org (Magdalena Tomasik)Shipping NewsFri, 28 Nov 2014 10:10:12 +0000White paper is now available http://www.arcticportal.org/news/22-climate-change-news/1331-white-paper-is-now-available-
http://www.arcticportal.org/news/22-climate-change-news/1331-white-paper-is-now-available-The final version of the white paper on Requirements for Monitoring of Permafrost in Polar Regions in response to the WMO Polar Space Task Group, is now available online.

The Polar Space Task Group (PSTG) has been established as the coordinating body of space agencies, in particular the Space Task Group (STG), for space-based observations of Polar Regions after the International Polar Year (IPY). The PSTG has been established under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) Executive Council Panel of Experts on Polar Observations Research and Services (EC-PORS).

The group's mandate is to provide coordination across space agencies to facilitate acquisition and distribution of fundamental satellite datasets, and to contribute to or support development of specific derived products for cryospheric and polar scientific research and applications.

Requirements for space-based monitoring of permafrost observables had been defined within the IGOS Cryosphere Theme Report at the start of the IPY in 2007 (IGOS, 2007). However, during the PSTG-3 meeting in Paris May 2013, the PSTG identified the need to review the requirements for permafrost monitoring and to update these requirements as necessary.

Recommendations and data requirements specified are requested to be verified within the community. Requirement surveys with focus on satellite data are available from the ESA DUE Permafrost User requirements survey (2009), the United States National Research Council (2014) and the ESA-CliC-IPA-GTN-P workshop in February 2014. These connect needs especially those listed in the IGOS Cryosphere Theme report (IGOS, 2007).

In the present white paper, both monitoring site-specific and sensor-specific recommendations are made for polar regions in response to the PSTG request.

A draft has been discussed at the Third European Conference on Permafrost (EUCOP) meeting in June 2014. Its modified version was presented at the 4th WMO-PSTG meeting in September 2014.

The second annual Arctic Encounter Symposium will challenge participants to tackle the shared interests and concerns of the United States and the global community as we look north to the last emerging frontier the Arctic.

Leading experts, CEOs, and thought leaders from the science, technology, maritime and energy sectors, will gather to challenge the status quo dialogue, critically address challenges to realizing the Arctic's full potential and collaborate on solutions. Participants will include key industry leaders, policy makers and regional stakeholders.

This year's Symposium will focus on the role of the U.S. as an arctic nation and the challenges it will confront in its upcoming chairmanship of the Arctic Council, including: climate change, natural resources, investment opportunities and international relations.

The goal of the 2015 Arctic Encounter is to facilitate a creative environment for the development of a proactive agenda, short and long-term domestic and international priorities and a strategic execution plan.

The two-day program will take place at the University of Washington with a dinner reception on Friday, January 30, 2015 at the Museum of History and Industry.

]]>magda@arcticportal.org (Magdalena Tomasik)Other NewsWed, 26 Nov 2014 10:25:51 +0000New Circumpolar academic opportunities available http://www.arcticportal.org/news/25-other-news/1328-new-circumpolar-academic-opportunities-available-
http://www.arcticportal.org/news/25-other-news/1328-new-circumpolar-academic-opportunities-available-The University of the Arctic has just opened the application process for seven different Circumpolar Studies courses to its member universities and international studies worldwide.

The Circumpolar Studies Core Courses consist of a single lower-level introductory course and six upper-level advanced courses in three interdisciplinary fields of study. The core courses enable students to gain a broad knowledge and understanding of the lands, peoples, and critical issues of the Circumpolar North. Circumpolar Studies prepares students for advanced study or professional employment in fields as diverse as sustainable resource management, self-government, Arctic engineering, and northern tourism.

Courses are delivered online and are worth 6 ECTS, or 3 credit units at most North American institutions. The language of instruction is English. Tuition and other fees are charged only by a student's home institution, where applicable.

Credit will be recorded at the offering institution and may be transferred to a student's home institution after successful completion of the course.

As a home institution, you collect and keep all of your regular tuition fees for these courses from your students. It is a great system allowing smaller UArctic member institutions to have access to the Circumpolar Studies courses for their students but not having to bear the cost of delivering these courses.

Click here for more information about the courses and to access the application form.

]]>magda@arcticportal.org (Magdalena Tomasik)Other NewsTue, 25 Nov 2014 10:39:53 +0000Mandatory Polar Code accepted http://www.arcticportal.org/news/25-other-news/1327-mandatory-polar-code-accepted-
http://www.arcticportal.org/news/25-other-news/1327-mandatory-polar-code-accepted-This month the International Maritime Organization (IMO), at the 94th session of its Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), adopted the mandatory International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code), and related amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) in order to make it mandatory.

The expected date of entry into force of the SOLAS amendments is 1 January 2017, under the tacit acceptance procedure. It will apply to new ships constructed after that date.

Ships constructed before 1 January 2017 will be required to meet the relevant requirements of the Polar Code by the first intermediate or renewal survey, whichever occurs first, after 1 January 2018.

Because the new Polar Code contains both safety and environmental provisions, it will be mandatory under SOLAS and MARPOL (Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships).

Detailed information about legacy and the content of new mandatory Polar Code are available on IMO´s website.

The PAGE21 – DOC is primarily addressed to the PAGE21 consortium to facilitate the exchange of data and information between and within the different work - packages.

The PAGE21 Data Output Catalogue is an aggregate form of all the PAGE21 data that are stored in other data repositories, such as GTN-P, PANGAEA or the European Flux Database.

Why didn't we just put all data in only one repository? Each of these databases has its individual advantage related to data post-processing and quality check in dependence of the particular data types.

PAGE21 - DOC comprises all the different data at one place, providing DOI's, handles and other links to a broad range of datasets, reports and additional information related to the PAGE21 products.

]]>magda@arcticportal.org (Magdalena Tomasik)Other NewsFri, 21 Nov 2014 10:04:01 +0000Scholarships available from ISEhttp://www.arcticportal.org/news/25-other-news/1325-scholarships-available-
http://www.arcticportal.org/news/25-other-news/1325-scholarships-available-The Future Arctic Energy Network(FAE) will be awarding one partial fee scholarship in 2015, for the graduate programmes offered by the Iceland School of Energy. The scholarship programme aims to attract outstanding students from a wide range of backgrounds, who have a common interest in energy related topics which are relevant to the Arctic.

The Future Arctic Energy network (FAE) is a non-partisan, non-profit initiative supported by the Icelandic School of Energy at Reykjavik University.

It aims to create opportunities for students and young professionals to join the discussion on Arctic Energy issues through platforms like the Arctic Circle.

FAE plans to encourage unbiased research of energy in the Arctic, especially encouraging innovative, future-focused projects.